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Cross Nationals to be hosted in Saanich, BC, this November 2022

cyclocross bike racers hop over wooden planks on race course
Photo credit: Jay Wallace

 

Saanich, BC – The Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships will be hosted in Saanich BC on November 25-27, 2022 and feature 3 days of exciting racing action for cross enthusiasts from across the country. “After 2 long years of having no championship, we feel this is the year to finally make it happen.”, said race director, Jon Watkin. “We had originally planned to host in 2020 but that went sideways due to Covid-19, and then when we tried again for 2021, we were hit with a double whammy of bad weather and Omicron. It is said that ‘Three times is the charm’, so we are all in to make this an awesome event.” 

The last Canadian Cyclocross championships were held in Peterborough Ontario in 2018-19. Victoria was slated to host in 2020-21, however the Covid-19 pandemic situation resulted in the race being cancelled for those years. 

One major change is that the event has been moved to Layritz Park in Saanich, which is located just north of downtown Victoria. The park has had past cyclocross races including the very popular Tripleshot Cross Fondo and features varying terrain and excellent spectator viewing opportunities. 

For the district of Saanich, it is the first major national sanctioned cycling event that has been hosted since the Mount Tolmie Road Race in 2000, which was spawned as a legacy of the Commonwealth Games in 1994. “I’m thrilled Saanich will welcome the Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships to our community this fall,” said District of Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes. “Hosting this event offers many benefits for our local businesses including an uptick in tourism with the many competitors and spectators visiting us for this exciting weekend race.”. 

“We are super supportive of these kinds of events that bring national attention to the Greater Victoria Region.” Said Keith Wells, Executive Director of the Victoria Sport Tourism Commission. “It also shows 

that hosting high level sporting events can be attained by all municipalities and can bring enormous economic and social benefits.” 

The event schedule combines family friendly activities for kids, fun races for enthusiasts, and high-performance racing for elites, juniors, U23, and Masters. 

On Friday November 25, the course will be available for pre-riding by all racers and will also feature some night-time single speed cyclocross racing with the Broad Street Cycles “Blackout CX”. 

The Lazer Canadian Cyclocross Championships take place the following day on November 26 and will highlight the Elite, Junior, U23, and Masters Championship events while also offering “Sportif” races for beginners. 

Sunday’s racing will feature the Trek Bear Crossing Grand Prix UCI C2 International races where Canadian and International racers will be racing for valuable World Ranking UCI Points. Age group races will also be included to extend the racing action for youth and offer additional ranking points for masters. 

Tentative Schedule—Subject to Change:

2022 LAZER CANADIAN CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS / TREK BEAR CROSSING GRAND PRIX EVENT SCHEDULE 
THURSDAY / JEUDI – Course Set up Day / Mise En Place du Cours 
12h00 – 17h00 Race office open **NOTE Registration will not be open** / Bureau de course ouvert **REMARQUE L’inscription ne sera pas ouverte**
12h00 – 14h00 Team Tents and Expo area open for setup / Tentes d’équipe et la zone d’exposition sont ouvertes pour l’installation
FRIDAY / VENDREDI – Training Day / Jour D’entrainement 
12h00 – 19h00 Registration and race office open / Ouverture du bureau des inscriptions et des courses
12h00 – 19h00 Team Tents and Expo area open for setup / Tentes d’équipe et la zone d’exposition sont ouvertes pour l’installation
14h00 Managers Meeting at Registration/Race Office / Réunion des managers au bureau des inscriptions/course
14h30 – 16h30 Course open for training / Cours ouvert à la formation
17h00 – 18h00 TBD
18h30 – 21h00 Blackout CX Single Speed Cross Night Racing / Cyclocross de nuit à pignon fixe
SATURDAY / SAMEDI – Lazer Canadian CX Championships / Championnats Canadiens CX 
07h00 – 17h00 Registration and race office open / Ouverture du bureau des inscriptions et des courses
07h00 – 08h00 Team Tents and Expo area open for setup / Tentes d’équipe et la zone d’exposition sont ouvertes pour l’installation
07h15 – 07h45 Course open for training / Cours ouvert à la formation
08h00 U17 M/H / U17 W/F ; U15 M/H ; U15 W/F ; U13 M/H ; U13 W/F (Challenge Races);
08h55 Master 65+ W/F ; Master 55-64 W/F, Master 45-54 W/F ; Master 35-44 W/F; (Championship Race), Sportif W
09h50 Master 55-64 M/H ; Master 65+ M/H; (Championship Race), Sportif M
10h45 Master 45-54 M/H ; (Championship Race)
11h45 Master 35-44 M/H; (Championship Race)
11h30 Cycling BC Hop On – Kids Cross
12h45 Junior M/H ; U23 M/H; (Championship Race)
13h50 Junior W/F ; U23 W/F; (Championship Race)
14h45 Elite M/H; (Championship Race)
16h00 Elite W/F; (Championship Race)
17h30 Awards Ceremony for all start times / Cérémonie de remise des prix
SUNDAY / DIMANCHE – TREK Bear Crossing Grand Prix BC CX Championships 
07h00 – 15h00 Registration and race office open / Ouverture du bureau des inscriptions et des courses
07h00 – 08h00 Team Tents and Expo area open for setup / Tentes d’équipe et la zone d’exposition sont ouvertes pour l’installation
07h15 – 07h45 Course open for training / Cours ouvert à la formation
08h00 U17 M/H / U17 W/F ; U15 M/H ; U15 W/F ; U13 M/H ; U13 W/F
08h55 Master 55-64 W/F ; Master 65+ W/F ; Master 45-54 W/F ; Master 35-44 W/F
09h50 Master 55-64 M/H ; Master 65+ M/H ;
10h45 Master 45-54 M/H
11h45 Master 35-44 M/H
10h15 Awards Ceremony for 08h00 & 08h55 & 09h50 starts / Cérémonie de remise des prix pour 08h00 & 08h55 & 09h50 départs
11h30 Cycling BC Hop On – Kids Cross
12h30 Awards Ceremony for 10h45 & 11h45 starts / Cérémonie de remise des prix pour 10h45 & 11h45 départs
12h00 – 12h30 Course open for training / Cours ouvert à la formation
12h45 Junior M/H
13h50 Junior W/F
14h45 Elite W/F
16h00 Elite M/H
16h40 Awards Ceremony for 12h45 and 13h50 and 14h45 and 16h00 starts

Registration will be open in late September and the 1st draft of a Technical Guide will be made available as well. 

Cycling Canada link about National Ranking:  https://cyclingcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/MEMO-CX-National-Ranking-Series.pdf 

For more information: 

Contact:

Jon Watkin
Race Director
info@bearcrossgrandprix.com

UCI / Cycling Canada
Contact Josh Peacock
josh.peacock@cyclingcanada.ca